Rain
Rain
It seems as though every other year we have a wet summer whereas annuals especially Petunias wither away and the ability to get a lot done dwindles away. In the past month we have received over 6” of rain! It has been devastating to many homeowners and farmers all throughout Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and New York. Flooding in fields and gardens has rendered most crops gone and plants have been desiccating rapidly. For information on how to help, go to this link https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/07/20/fund-established-help-farms-impacted-by-recent-flooding/
What should you do? Honestly it is a season where plants will be lost and it is sad, like I mentioned before, devastating to those whose livelihood depends on it.
Remove annuals that look dead and are waterlogged. There is no hope at this point. Once the roots sit in wet soil for a while, the roots are now rotting. You can replace it with a new set of annuals or perennials that don’t mind moist soil. (List of Moisture Loving Plants below)
Drainage is helpful in areas where flooding is predominant no matter the weather for that year. Even installing a rain garden is a beneficial use of that space! Rain gardens are usually a crushed stone bed with moisture loving plants, trees, and shrubs. Oftentimes it helps to divert water away from the yard. Also it's a great ecological way to sustain wildlife in the landscape.
Moisture Loving Plants (A=annual, P=perennial, T=tree, S=shrub)
Canna (A)
Turtlehead (P)
Joe Pye Weed (P)
Siberian Iris (P)
Fiber Optic Grass (A)
Ligularia (P)
Cardinal Flower (P)
Golden Creeping Jenny (P)
Forget Me Nots (P)
Japanese Primrose (P)
Spiderwort (P)
Calla Lily (A)
Sedge (P)
Marsh Marigold (P)
Papyrus (A)
Meadowsweet (P)
Swamp Milkweed (P)
Hardy Hibiscus (P)
Obedient Plant (P)
Japanese Iris (P)
Pickeral Weed (P)
Japanese Iris (P)
Corkscrew Rush (A)
Swamp Sunflower (A)
Chokeberry (S)
Winterberry (S)
Inkberry (S)
Pussy Willow (S)
Clethra (S)
Dogwood (S)
Yellow Trout Lily (P)
Elephant Ears (A)
River Birch (T)
Cottonwood (T)
Weeping Willow (T)
Tupelo (T)
Sweetgum (T)
Witch Hazel (T)
